CODAFA Accuses Dokubo-Asari of Trying to Inflame Ethnic Tensions Over Olu of Warri, Okunbo Family

The Children of Drivers and Fishermen Association (CODAFA) has criticised Mujahid Dokubo-Asari over an allegation involving the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and the family of the late Captain Hosa Okunbo, describing the claim as absurd and potentially divisive.

The association accused Dokubo-Asari of attempting to divert public attention and stir ethnic tensions through the allegation.

In a statement, CODAFA President Romeo Diden warned against drawing comparisons between long-established traditional institutions and private military contractors or former militant organisations.

Diden also defended the late Captain Hosa Okunbo’s reputation, describing him as a pioneering entrepreneur and aviator whose contributions to Nigeria’s maritime security and logistics sector were driven by corporate innovation and strategic planning.

The association said the allegation that N2.7 trillion was paid to the Olu of Warri and the Okunbo family for pipeline surveillance was implausible.

The statement read: “For over two decades, the Niger Delta has been caught in a vicious cycle where genuine struggles for resource control have been hijacked by a select group of non-state actors who have commercialised agitation with a curious blend of armed struggle.

“In the court of public opinion, a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can put its boots on. Dokubo-Asari relied heavily on this maxim when he threw out the staggering figure of N2.7 trillion allegedly paid to the Olu of Warri and the Okunbo family for pipeline surveillance. This figure is not just an exaggeration; it is a mathematical absurdity, an operational impossibility, and a profound insult to the intelligence of the Nigerian public.”

Diden argued that the alleged amount was disproportionate to the country’s budgetary framework and the expenditure structure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

He said allocating N2.7 trillion to a single surveillance contract would consume an extraordinary share of national oil revenue and raise serious questions among financial institutions and joint venture partners.

The statement further noted that infrastructure spending was spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while pipeline surveillance activities involved several regional firms and security agencies.

It described the alleged payment as a fictional allocation that exceeded actual sector spending limits.

Diden also stressed that the Olu of Warri’s traditional authority was rooted in centuries of history rather than modern political patronage.

“The Throne of the Olu of Warri (Ogiame) is not a creation of the Nigerian state, nor is it a product of post-colonial political patronage. The Warri Kingdom boasts an unbroken ancestral lineage stretching back over 500 years, characterised by sophisticated administrative structures, early international diplomacy with European empires in the 15th and 16th centuries, and a deeply institutionalised culture of law, order, and dignity.

“When the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, speaks or acts, he does so as the custodian of a proud civilisation. He does not operate from a position of agitation, nor does he look for validation through social media rants. The Palace functions as an institution of peace, structural development, and cross-cultural collaboration.

“To compare this grand, historic institution to a private military enterprise or to suggest that a revered monarch is competing on the same level as an ex-militant commander for pipeline security crumbs is a calculated attempt to desecrate the crown.”

The CODAFA president also defended the business achievements of the late Captain Hosa Okunbo and his son, Osahon Idahosa, arguing that their work demonstrated how private enterprise could contribute to protecting Nigeria’s critical infrastructure.

“Equally egregious is the attack on Osahon Idahosa and the legacy of his late father, the iconic Captain Hosa Okunbo. Captain Hosa was a visionary entrepreneur, a brilliant aviator, and a commercial trailblazer who redefined maritime security and logistics in Nigeria through pure intellect and corporate strategy.

“Unlike those who gained leverage by disrupting oil production, blowing up pipelines, and kidnapping expatriates, Captain Hosa built legitimate corporate entities, such as Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS), that provided institutional, non-violent, technologically advanced security frameworks for Nigeria’s maritime assets. He proved to the world that the Niger Delta could secure its infrastructure using global corporate standards rather than crude intimidation.”

Diden said security arrangements based on corporate governance, legal compliance and community engagement differed fundamentally from methods reliant on armed intimidation and government settlements.

He further alleged that the criticism of Idahosa was an attempt to discredit indigenous business success and suggest that armed agitation remained the only route to participating in the oil industry.

According to him, such claims risk undermining the ambitions of young people seeking to advance through education, business and professional careers.

The association also criticised the federal government’s handling of oil-producing communities, arguing that the Niger Delta had contributed enormous wealth to Nigeria without receiving adequate development in return.

Diden said: “The real villain in this scenario is not any traditional ruler or regional contractor; it is the Nigerian rentier state, which has systematically marginalised, oppressed, and exploited the very people and lands that sustain its economy.

“The ancestral lands over which the Olu of Warri holds spiritual and traditional sovereignty sit directly atop one of the richest, most geographically dense oil and gas deposits on the African continent. The onshore and offshore fields of the Western Niger Delta — spanning across Escravos, Forcados, and the vast mangrove creeks of Delta State — have pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the federation account over the last seven decades.

“The wealth extracted from this cartographic space has been used to build the sweeping flyovers of Abuja, fund the mega-infrastructure of Lagos, and sustain the luxury lifestyles of the political elite across the country. Yet, what has the host community received in return?”

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